the place plainly extorts a divifion of carnal men and regenerate ; the threats are propounded to the one,the promises and affurance to the other; and therefore no touch from hence of our uncertainty in a confeffed eftate of renovation. For that Mat. 12. 43. The Apodofis, or inference of the parable might well have ftop't the mouthes of these Cavillers: for you shall finde in the end of it; fo fhall it be with this wicked generation ; I fuppofe no man will be fo abfurd,as to lay thefe Jewes had formerly received true juftifying faith; How fhould they, when they rejected the Meffias? And yet of them is this parable fpoken by our Saviours own explication: Maldonate himself a learned and spightful Jefuite, can interpret it no otherwise. Ideo Chriftus hoc dixit ut doceret pejores effe Fudæos, quam fi nunquam Dei legem & cognitionem accepiffent, and to this purpose he cites Hilary, Hierom, Beda; and this fence is fo clear, that unleffe the feven Devils had found harbour in the dry hearts of thefe men, they could not fo grofly pervert it; Quench not the Spirit, 1 Thef. 5. will never prove a final or total extinction of faving grace; the Spirit is quenched when the degrees of it are abated; when the good motions thereof are by our fecurity let fall; we grant the Spirit may be quenched in tanto not in tote; Or if we should fo take it, as they defire; I remember Auftin parallels this place with that other to Timothy, Let no man defpife thy youth; Not, faith he, that the Spirit can be quenched, or that contempt can be avoided; but that in the one we may not indeavour to do that which may tend towards this wrong to the Spirit; and in the other that we should be careful not to do that which may procure contempt; The place, I remember not directly; but numeros teneo, fi verba tenerem: But in all likelyhood that place founds quite another way; as may appear by the connexion of it with thofe two fentences following; As if he should have faid, difcourage not the graces that you finde in any of your Teachers; defpife not their preaching ; their doctrines:And now what is this to the falling from Grace? Which of us do not teach the neceffity of perfeverance? He only that indures to the end fhall be faved; Be faithful to the death, and, trye c. But he that hath ordained we fhall be faved, hath ordained our perfeverance as a mean to this falvation; and hath appointed thefe fharp advises as the means and motives of our perfeverance: So as he that shall be saved shall also indure to the end; Because no man plucks plucks them out of my hand, faith Chrift: How evidently doth the Spirit of God proclaime our certainty against thefe doubt-mongers? Every where is he as full of affurance,as these men of discomfort: He that is borne God finneth not, neither can fin, because he is born of God, and the feed of God remaines in them; what an invincible, and irrefragable 1 Jo. 3. confolation is this? The feed of life is fown in the hearts of the e- 3. lect;though they could be dead to themselves, yet to God they cannot. And what a fuppofition is that of Chrift; that if it were pofsible Mat.24. the very elect should be deceived? Defponfabo te mihi in perpetuum; and a thousand of this ftrain, which your exercife in thofe holy leaves Hof. 2. hath,I doubt not,abundantly furnifht you withal: hold fast then my dear friend, this fure anchor of our undeceivable hope;and spit in the face of men or Devils that fhall go about to flacken your hand; Let thefe vain Spirits fing defpair to themselves; for us,we know whom we have believed; Thus hath my pen run it felf out of breath in this fo important a demand and much a do have I had to reftrain it;neither would I give you one houres intermiffion to my answer; which I know your love cannot but accept, as that which proceeds from an heart zealous both of God and you. Reverendiffimo Viro, Do Marco Antonio DE DOMINIS Archiep. SPALATENSI Epiftola DISCESSUS SUI Ad ROM A M diffuaf. Oli gravate ferre ( Reverendiffime Praful) candidam hanc & animi & calami (devotiffimi tibi utriufque) libertatem, fane expreffit mihi vel renitenti verba hæc prius fincerus quidam & religionis zelus & tui. Fama eft te difceffum a nobis meditari, neque tam loco cedere velle, quam fide; ftrenua profecto fufpicione non caret hoc ipfum proficifci, neque enim cujufquam fubire mentem poteft hominem fenema velle animi caufa peregrinari, deferbuit procul dubio jam diu juvenilis ille ardor relictas pridem oras curiofe revisendi, nec ita craffi famus infulares, ut credere poffimus coelum te mutare velle, nifi animum prius quadam-tenus mutare decreviffes, multo vero minus feptem illos invifos coelo totiefque tuo fulmine ictos colles repetere ; novimus & nos fat bene ingenium Roma, ecquem latere poteft, nedum hominem cordatum quam infida fit illa ftatio fuperbe Hierarchiæ expugnatori? Moneat te olim vefter Fulgentius, quam nihil ita tutum fit Pontificiæ Majeftatis tantillo violatori, etiam poft fidem (fi qua famæ fides) fanéte datam, poft promiffa munera, poft benigniffime invitationis blanditias. Viderit tua prudentia ut te vel propudiofiffima Palinodia, tactæque quas de jerafti prius, aræ liberaverint. O tuam (fi quem modo profiteris, fanus & orthodoxus) Romam remeare audeas, miram animi confidentiam, piamque Martyrii fitim, dignam ftupore noftro, dignam immortalitate, quin nobis iftic liceret & hanc tibi gloriam invidere, & gratulari folicitatem, fed quam te parum provehat ambitio, eft quod non immerito timeamus. Quidergo? Egre profecto monuerim opus effe novas profectionis fuæ ra ones exponat Reverentia veftra, quas vero tandem illas, fi ex faffis liceat (uti plebeis femper licuit conjectari ) fan&tum quoddam uniendæ Ecclefiæ ftudium te Romam, difcorde hujufce facerrimam fedem, propellit; machinaturum demum aliquid, quo funcftiffimæ Chriftiani orbis lites aliquando fopiantur, ad quod quidem of us inftru&tiorem te aliis omnibus produxiffe vifus eft ille pacis author, animus certe quam non defit memini te alicubi palam profiteri. Alicubi inquis, a primis clericatus mei annis, in me innatum pœne defiderium videndæ unionis omnium Chrifti Ecclefiarum feparationem Occidentis ab Oriente in rebus fidei, Auftri ab Aquilone æquo animo ferre nunquam poteram, cupiebam anxie tot tantorumque schifmatum causam agnofcere, ac perfpicere, num poffit aliqua excogitari via omnes Chrifti Ecclefias ad veram antiquam unionem componendi, idque videndi ardebam defiderio, dolore interno animi ex tot diffidiis inter Chriftianæ religionis profeffores, cx odiis acerrimis inter nobiliffimas Ecclefias inflammatis, ex tunica Chrifti foede fciffa & lacerata concepto, excruciabar. Qui me dolor & nimia triftitia mirum in modum conficiebat, & indies magis conficit in deque ad fervens ftudium invitabar: Dignam fane piiffimo præfule lapfoque e cœlis pacis μiar? Quis non hunc una & animi candorem & ardorem zeli pronus exofculetur? Pereat certe quifquis eft, pereat peffume qui defcerptiffimæ Ecclefiæ redintegrationem fuo ipfius fanguine redemptam ire noluerit. Sed parce fi me audis (colendiffime præful) parce huic labori, novimus nos iftic, quid poffint humanæ vires, votis nos una tecum, fi lubet, ufque contendemus, ut Dei beneficio beet aliquando Chriftianam Rempublicam pax alma, refpicienfque ab alto diffipet tandem omnes errorum inimicitiarumque procellas, quibus hodierno die miferrime conflictamur, fed mortalium quifquis fe hoc effectum dare poffe fperat, nimio quam fruftra eft: aut enim exuar fe prorfus oportet Romana Ecclefia (quod quis hominum fuadere fe poffe autemet aut hoc profecto nullo modo fieri poteft; non negarim equidem ( dedimus enim & nos ftrenue, quantum potuimus operam huic inftituto) poenes utramque litigantium partem, effe facra pacis limina quæ aliquanto proprius liceret (abfque ullo fidei damno) falutare. Nam & leviculæ quædam funt, quæ tuto liceret, alterutrique (fi opus foret indulgere, neque quid impedit quo minus in tractandarum (que neceffario obveniunt) controverfiarum modo, plus utique moderationis Chrifti ane anæ poffit adhiberi, fed ut unanimem in fummis relgionis capitibus (quæ nunc eft Rome indoles) concordiam ineamus (dolens edico) haud minus impoffibile eft, quam lucem tenebris Beliali Deum confociari. Qu am infamis audit hodie Johanis Sturmii media, non fecus ac lata illa quæ ad imum ufque Barathrum deducit via; quam vapulat etiamnum bonus ille Caffander, Friciufque, & quifque moderatioris ingenii theologus, pacis aufus eft meminiffe? Quin & repidos hæreticis fuis connumerandos cenfuit pridem, nec nemo Galicanorum patrum Gualterus quis vero te melius novit, quam mordicus olim tenuerunt Tridentini patres, vel minimas quafque quifquilias, ftipulamque fuæ (quam vocant) fidei? Quibus orbem Chriftianum penitus conflagrare maluerunt, Romani rerum domini, quam ut tantillum fuo qualicunque jure credere viderentur, Ecqua nunc fpes eft poft tot annorum pertinaciam profufiores veri Pontificios chariffimis erroribus ultro ab renunciaturos; nimia profecto fide fit oportet, qui illud crediderit. Eat nunc quis probus monitor & fuggerat ifta (cujus in pectore concluf a delitefcit Ecclefia) Pontifici fummo fine modo fuadere tibi obfecro fancte Pater, ut faftuofum hunc Papatum, Monarchicumque in Ecclefias Dei imperium abdicare velis, noli Cathedram tuam (quod foles) venditare; define tibi poft tam apertam tuorum hominum erubefcentiam, arrogare gladium illum alterum poteftatis fecularis; cave tui-ipfius præcepta divinis æquiparanda cenfeas edicafque. Infigne illud commentum Tranfubftantiationis, Sacrificii Miflatici,Purgatorii ignis, fatere tandem & exfibila, noli Ecclefiam Chriftianam deinceps ludos facere lucrofis indulgentiarum nundinationibus, jubeas ne fanctorum effigies, reliquiæve in Idola convertantur. Quid quæfo aliud a magno Romuli nepote nifi facem crucemve reportabit? Quid ergo? ubi iteterit palam errorum parentibus fimul & patronis, quidvis aut agere, aut pati potius, quam ut a fententia fua, quamlibet impia, ac prodigiofa difcedere velint, quid a nobis tandem putat paternitas veftra primævæ veritatis affeclis poffe expectari,ut conclamatiffimis erroribus dare manus,& plus quam fervili jugo Pontificia Tyrannidis colla fubdere,jam fero animum inducamus? Non ita fane & Deum & hominem exuere poffumus, ut hac tam infana lege pacem colere mavelimus Alterum profecto horum (fi quando convenire lubitum) plane ncceffe eft ut aut illi errare, aut nos recta ire definamus, illud ipfi valde nolunt, hoc Deus. Quod |